Rating: 5+ / 5
Out of all the Liar Game volumes, I think this is the one that can make it for break it for first-time readers. By this I mean that either it's the volume that turns you off in terms of Nao's stupidity (which is big at the beginning of this, but necessary, trust me!), or it's the volume that hooks you hook-line-and-sinker for this series, to the point that you become obsessed with seeing it through to the end.
Obviously, the latter applies to me.
At this time, it should seem that Nao is finally free of the Liar Game, having earned enough in the second round to pay off her debts, and even enough to have profit left over as well. However, she feels guilty because Akiyama has to continue on with the game instead, and since she got him involved in the first place, she desperately wants to help him.
The sneaky lawyer/employee from the LGT office appears on the scene again though, and convinces Nao to attend the "revival round" along with other losers of the second round, those who left the game with debts. Among these is the villain from volume 2, Fukunaga, and very swiftly he turns the tables against Nao and puts her in a hopeless losing position. The fact that Nao is tricked not once, but twice by him very quickly is probably the #1 most off-putting part about Nao's character in the entire series, even for me, but after reading this series again, I think I've figured out why:
It's not to show how stupid Nao is, but rather to both signal the character change that she must undergo--because, until now, she's been playing more of a passive role and letting Akiyama take charge, whereas now she must become more active, even though it is with his help--and also to purposely put her in the lowest of low positions and thereby show how a turnaround is possible when using the right psychological tactics.
Both of these reasons are ultimately what makes this volume so impressive, and is what's likely to really hook readers as a result. It's incredible how, not even in a main round but a revival round, so much action takes place. We go from a place of hopelessness to absolute power, and all with just a few maneuvers that require excellent knowledge of how the human mind works--which, of course, Akiyama has.
It's...nothing short of brilliant, and so even for those who until this point have really hated Nao and didn't understand the point of rooting for her in this series when she's obviously "so stupid" as to dig her own grave...well, this volume, if you read all the chapters from start to finish, is the one to change readers' minds about that. And the ending, of course, really supports this conclusion, as Leronira himself acknowledges that perhaps, after all, Nao is the one to watch. This is likewise the earlier indication of not other players, but the LGT office as the main enemy itself, and to think that it's Nao who brought about how it could potentially (albeit unrealistically) be defeated.
As the saying goes, three's a charm, and for this volume that certainly holds true!
(Man, I wish there was a print copy of these available in English---I would 10000000% buy all of them, no questions asked!)